Out of Context
by Kaz1167
Summary: Mako overhears part of a conversation and misinterprets everything, sending him down an angst-y spiral over Korra and her "new boyfriend". Mako/Korra.


Mako rushes to catch the last ferry to the Air Temple, an unpleasant combination of nerves, excitement, and anxiety causing his stomach to turn. He jumps onto the rising boarding platform and he's pretty sure someone from the dock is cursing at him, but he ignores it and attempts to casually walk to the front of the boat while catching his breath and smoothing down his uniform.

The news of Korra's return from the Fire Nation had traveled quickly through Republic City, her presence setting off a familiar spark amongst its residents. Bolin had rushed to Mako's office during his lunch to inform him of the good news—just in case he hadn't already heard—and tell him that he and Asami were heading to the Air Temple at the end of day to see their favorite Avatar. He had looked up from his desk at that, Bolin finally catching his attention.

Although he recognized that his relationship with Korra had been far from perfect, he had hated these past few weeks without her. Any pain their fights had caused him paled in comparison to the constant ache he now felt without her in his life. Mako had agreed to come over immediately after work, knowing that this would be his chance to speak with Korra and—hopefully—repair their relationship.

So here he is, desperately trying to get to Air Temple Island after having been delayed by a mountain of paperwork at the station. He's sure Bolin and the others are already there, but he hopes he isn't too late in comparison. As the ferry docks, he bursts off, practically tripping over his feet as he takes the winding stairs up to the temple two at a time, an unexpected urgency to see her pushing him forward.

An air nomad passes his way and Mako briefly stops to ask if she's seen the Avatar or his brother and where he might be able to find them. The second the words leave her mouth he darts off again, shouting "Thanks!" behind him as he rounds a corner.

As he comes upon the quaint dining room, the sound of muffled voices fills his ears, but one catches his attention in particular. She's speaking to the enraptured room and her warm, robust laugh momentarily swirls around him. He takes this moment to listen in on her story and compose himself before entering.

"So like I was saying, Wan shared everything with me, even his back story from before—well, you know, everything happened—and his entire journey with Rava. I wish you guys could meet him. I don't think I've ever felt such a strong connection to someone before. Usually things are vague and unclear for me, but everything with Wan was so vibrant and natural, and I learned so much about myself in the process. I've never experienced anything like that before."

An unpleasant feeling surges through his chest and he feels his pulse quicken.

Wan? _Who the hell is Wan?_ And why is she gushing so much about him? Could she have met someone already? It had only been a few weeks since their break up… Had she _seriously _already moved on?

He walks in and takes a seat beside Bolin, his greeting and mumbled apology for his lateness sounding hollow in his ears, but his brother's exuberance practically bursts forth as he slaps a hand on Mako's back in response. Mako tries to shake the feeling and his hurt pride as he glances around the room, hoping his discomfort isn't too apparent, but the knot in his stomach won't go away as the cold reality that he's lost Korra forever seeps into his body.

"Mako, you're missing this WAN-derful story; seriously, you aren't going to believe what Korra went through in the fire nation. Don't worry, Korra, keep going, I'll catch him up on everything later!"

Korra glances at the firebender, a split second of pause before a small smile graces her features and she continues.

He tries to pay attention to the rest of her story, something about a sky bison and fire sages and harmony or something, but his mind keeps drifting back to what he heard earlier.

_Wan. _

He's never heard Korra speak with that much admiration in her voice, like somehow just knowing this _Wan_ guy makes her a more complete person. The thought of her needing someone else, wanting someone other than him—he can't stand it. He wants to be _that_ person. It had never occurred to him how quickly he could be replaced in her life. He feels his hands trembling slightly and a cold sweat developing upon his skin. He needs to get out of the room, quickly, before he says something stupid.

His knee knocks against the table as he stands and mumbles something about getting more tea as he makes his way outside. The rest of the room pays little attention to his exit, but he catches Korra's glance as he rounds the corner. He tries to tack a half-hearted smile on his face before disappearing, hoping she'll buy it, but he knows it's a miserable attempt.

He sits on the cool cement steps for a few minutes, his head in his hands, letting the calm air waft over him as he tries to piece together a game plan. How to go forward. How to get over Korra. He knows he won't be able to figure it out in the few minutes he has before he'll have to head back inside (at the risk of someone coming to find him), but maybe he can at least find something to cling to before he has to meet her piercing gaze again.

"Watcha doing out here, City Boy?"

His head snaps up at her voice and he whips around to face her. Leaning back against the wooden pillar, arms crossed over her chest, she looks just as collected and confident and brash as ever and his heart lurches once more. Of all the people that could have come looking for him, he didn't expect it to be her.

"Just needed some air. It sounds like your trip to the fire nation went well."

"You could say that. You missed the part where I had amnesia, though. But I guess it all worked out in the end, thanks to Wan."

There it was.

That name.

_Wan._

That feeling of lose surges through him yet again, but this time it's accompanied by a surprising amount of annoyance and bitterness. He doesn't need to hear about how happy they are together. Besides, why would she think he'd _want_ to hear about it? He tries to stay calm, but the words rush out before he has the chance to filter them.

"Look, I get it, Korra. You've already moved on and found this Wan guy, but do you really have to shove it in my face? I've been here, missing you every second you were gone, regretting everything I said to you, trying to figure out some way to show you I still love you, and, while I can't fault you for finding someone new, you've already moved on. So could you just not share every happy detail about how _connected _you guys are with me? I'll try to be happy for you and do whatever friends do in this situation, but just tone it down a bit with me, will you?"

He finally meets her gaze, but he's thrown by what he finds. He expected her to be surprised at his outburst, but the pure shock depicted on her face is slightly alarming. It's only there for a second, before she bursts into laughter, practically clutching her side as she struggles to stay standing. He can't decide if he should feel offended by her reaction or relieved so he proceeds with caution.

"Am I…missing something?"

She wipes tears from her eyes as she finally draws in enough air to respond.

"Mako, Wan was the first Avatar. He's one of my past lives, not a new boyfriend. You'd think an Officer like yourself could have deduced that much, but I guess that's what you get for hearing part of the conversation out of context."

Relief rushes through him and he can't help the sigh that escapes his chest.

"Oh."

"Did you really think I had the time to find a new boyfriend? And who said I'd want a new one anyways? I'm still kind of fond of my old one…"

She nudges his shoulder, a small smile on her face, and his heart pounds in his chest at her words. Amber meet blue and he's tempted to pull her into his arms, but something in her gaze stops him.

"This conflict with Unalaq is far worse than we knew and dates back to the beginning of the Avatar cycle. I was hoping to find an easy solution to this war, but I've realized that my role as the Avatar is only going to become more complicated in the near future. I can't promise you that it will be easy if we want to be together. But at the end of the day, I love you and still think we're meant to be together."

"Korra, I…"

"We can talk more later, Mako," she says, that smile he loves gracing her face once more, "but can we go back inside? Tenzin and the others need to know more about the harmonic convergence coming up and it's nearly impossible to get through all the information with your brother making "Wan" puns at every chance he gets."

He feels his own smile spread across his face, a welcome feeling in contrast to the angst he felt moments ago, and gently pulls her hand into his.

"Yeah, let's get back to the others."

As they head inside, just before they enter the room, Korra pauses and turns to face him before leaning in to kiss him quickly. The warmth of her body against his and the perfect pressure of her lips on his make him smile into their kiss and, when she pulls away, she smiles back at him before entering the room to a chorus of greetings. Mako follows shortly after and, this time, takes a seat beside her.

She may not be able to promise him that everything will be fine or that it will be smooth sailing from here on out, but he doesn't need that kind of guarantee to know she loves him. He knows they'll stumble sometimes and charge at each other since they're both hot-tempered and overly passionate, but at least they'll be together. And that's all he needs.


End file.
